Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster may break auction record

June 13, 2012

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The 1936 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster once owned by Baroness Gisela Josephine von Krieger will be offered for sale by Gooding and Co. at its Monterey auction in August. The car is rare because few others were produced, but its incredible history makes it notable even among other rare and highly desirable prewar Mercedes.

According to the T Magazine article, the 540K was purchased new by the family of the Prussian Baroness Gisela Josephine von Krieger. It accompanied the baroness when she lived in London and France, and it stayed with her when she fled the Nazis to Monaco and Switzerland.

The car also followed the baroness across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary after she moved to New York following World War II. It did not, however make it back to Europe when she returned to Switzerland in 1959.

In 1992, the Mercedes was discovered stored away in a Connecticut warehouse. It was in remarkable condition with all of the original body panels intact, but it has since been fully restored.

To break the record for a car sold at auction, Gooding will have to outdo himself: Last year, his company sold a 1957 Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa for a chart-topping $16,390,000 at Pebble Beach.

Even so, Gooding's prediction may not be that far-fetched. A similar 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster broke into the top 10 most expensive cars sold at auction last year. That car went for $9,680,000 at RM Auctions' Monterey event—but that nearly eight-figure purchase price didn't buy the enchanting history that accompanies Baroness von Krieger's Benz.

Monterey car week is packed with car shows, vintage racing and car auctions. Autoweek will be there providing streaming photo galleries and live coverage of the Pebble Beach Concours, historic racing at Laguna Seca, the Monterey car auctions and plenty more. Go to autoweek.com/pebblebeach for complete coverage and live updates.

Graham Kozak
- Graham Kozak drove a 1951 Packard 200 sedan in high school because he wanted something that would be easy to find in a parking lot. He thinks all the things they're doing with fuel injection and seatbelts these days are pretty nifty too. Read more »See more by this author»